Serum PAI-1, MMP-9, and NLR are higher in elderly acute ischemic stroke patients.

This was a prospective observational cohort study of 113 elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and 63 elderly non-AIS controls. The study measured serum levels of PAI-1, MMP-9, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and compared them to NIHSS scores alone, biomarkers alone, or a combination for predicting 90-day poor functional outcome (mRS > 2).

The main result was that serum levels of PAI-1, MMP-9, and NLR were significantly higher in AIS patients than in controls. The p-values were all less than a threshold, though the exact value was not reported. The effect size and absolute numbers for these differences were not reported.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported, as no adverse events, serious adverse events, or discontinuations were noted. Key limitations include the observational design, which cannot establish causality, and the lack of reported effect sizes or exact p-values. The study population was limited to elderly patients, which may affect generalizability.

Practice relevance was not reported. Clinicians should interpret these findings as associative only, noting that biomarker levels differ in AIS patients, but their predictive value for functional outcomes remains uncertain without further validation.